Gatorland welcomes rare panthers

Gatorland’s newest addition, Neiko and Lucy, are a cross between the extremely endangered Florida panther and a Texas cougar.

"If you look at them they couldn't be more happy, they're extremely relaxed in this environment right here," said panther expert Danielle Lucas.

The brother and sister were born in 2006, and the person who had the cats could not care for them anymore, so Gatorland stepped in to give them a home.

"Neiko and Lucy will make perfect ambassadors to help educate our visitors on the peril of the Florida panther," President and CEO of Gatorland, Mark McHugh said.

Florida panthers are an endangered subspecies of the American cougar and are the only cougar population east of the Mississippi River.

In an effort to save the population, eight female Texas Cougars were introduced to Florida in 1995.

Scientists estimate the population of Texas cougars are now between 100 and 160. They said without the experiment, the population would be incapable of avoiding complete extinction.

The only breeding population now exists in a small area of southern Florida in portions of the Big Cypress National Preserve, Everglades National Park, and the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge.

"The fight to save this species is ongoing, and our efforts to showcase their mystique and beauty will encourage our guests to support further conservation efforts to protect North America's largest cats,” said McHugh.

The Florida panther has been protected from legal hunting since 1958. The large cat was listed as an endangered species in 1967 and was named the official animal of Florida in 1982.

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